Watches
December 03, 2023
A pretty decent Taiwanese drama, though it lacked that typical finish. The film often felt closer to a US indie drama than its Taiwanese peers, which isn't a positive in my book. The performances were good and the cinematography polished enough, but the family intrigue and the relatively poor use of the setting were a little disappointing.
When the family gets together to celebrate Shoying's 70th birthday, she is notified that her former husband died. He left her years ago and never looked back. He ended up with another woman, and Shoying wants to meet her to understand how her husband spent the last part of his life.
It's always nice to see Vivian Hsu, but she's underused here. The pacing is relatively slow and the drama takes its time to unfold, but those aren't necessarily negative points. It's just that Taiwanese films tend to be a bit classier and refined, whereas the conversations and dramatic exchanges here came off a little too blunt. Still a decent film, but it's far from the best Taiwan has on offer.